COREN begins probe into 5-storey building collapse in Onitsha

The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has set up a 10-member panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse of a five-storey building in Onitsha, Anambra.

The state Chairman of the council, Mr Victor Metu, disclosed this in an interview with the newsmen in Onitsha on Friday.

Metu said that the panel’s mandate was to unravel the truth about the cause of the incident.

He said that the panel was expected to interface with the building committee, the man who laid the foundation but later relieved of his job and Chukwuemeka Ugwuoke, who was later invited to continue with the job.

“I have a picture of the collapsed building, the second and third floor had a crack.

“It showed that it was not done by an engineer because of inconsistencies and corruption.

“I want to know why that was done, as it contributed to the failure of that project.

“We are inviting them and we are going to scrutinise each of them.

“At the end of the day, we are going to come out with a White Paper on the cause of the collapse to be presented to Gov. Charles Soludo,” the COREN chairman said.

He said that the panel is headed by Mr Sylvester Ezeaguyi, with other prominent professionals as members.

He gave assurance that the panel sitting would be made public.